


Promises

by thievinghippo



Series: V'rel - swtor [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 11:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8400340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thievinghippo/pseuds/thievinghippo
Summary: Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. - A.A. Milne. A story about a smuggler.





	

“Remember your promise.”

Sev’rel’loro stood up straight, wishing she had her stuffed bantha. She didn’t understand why she and Mama were here in this bright city so far away from home and Mama wouldn’t answer any of her questions. She wanted to be _home._

“But Mama-”

Mama whirled around and got down on one knee, so they were the same height. “Little Rel, I need you to be brave for me. You promised you’d be brave.”

Rel nodded and reached out her hand, wanting to hold Mama’s. But Mama just swatted her hand away. “Time to be brave.”

“I can be brave,” Rel muttered under her breath. She was already three and and nothing scared her. Not the time when she got lost in the tunnels just outside of Ac’siel or the other day when strange men burst into the family home demanding to see Mama.

She and Mama had hid in the secret room where no one would be able to find them. Rel had wanted to cry, but she didn’t, cause Mama said she couldn’t. As soon as the strange men had left the house, Mama had started packing and now they were here. Rel didn’t remember where here was though.

A pair of humans walked up to Mama and they started talking in low voices. At least she thought they were human. They were pink and had bland faces. Rel tried to listen, but she couldn’t hear unless she stood up on her tiptoes and Mama wouldn’t like that.

“This is the girl. This is Sev’rel’loro,” Mama said. “Her father… Her father is a very important man determined to remove any trace of impropriety on his part. She needs to be away from Csilla.”

“No!” Rel cried. Csilla was home. She loved Csilla and she loved the Ascendancy and one day she would join the Defense Force and bring honor to her family.

“Do not argue, Sev’rel’loro,” Mama said, not even looking at her.

Rel blinked back tears. Mama only used her full name when she was in trouble. Mama and the humans kept talking and Rel kept trying to hear what they were saying.

Finally Mama turned around and knelt down. “You’re going on a trip, little Rel. These people will take good care of you.” And then Mama hugged her, which scared Rel more than anything else that had happened today. Mama never hugged her.

The human woman grabbed her hand. She had bright yellow hair and such strange looking eyes. Rel didn’t like her eyes at all. “Come with us, sweetheart. You’ll be safe with us.”

Mama straightened up and tugged at her coat. “I will come back for you, I swear.”

“But Mama-”

She turned and left and all Rel could do was watch. But then the human man picked her up even as she tried to struggle.

“Mama!” Rel yelled so loud Mama had to hear her. She’d come back and they’d go home. “Mama!”

“Shut up already,” the human woman sighed.

“Can’t believe that woman bought the whole respectable act,” the human man said with a laugh that didn’t sound happy. He patted her head, even as she glared at him. “You just made us a fuckton of money, kid.”

“Shit, what did the woman call her? Seh-Rel or something like that?”

“Nah, there was a vee in that name somewhere. Just call her V’rel. Ain’t no one’s gonna know the difference anyhow.”

#

Twelve days.

Twelve little days until she turned fifteen and the galaxy would recognize her as an adult and she could get the hell off of Dantooine.

V’rel hated Dantooine. Hated everything about the place. It was too quiet, too open, too boring. But the stupid foster agency thought she needed boring after her last foster placement went bust.

Went bust. That was an understatement, she thought. At least they taught her how to use a blaster at her last placement. Only good thing about Dantooine was that she had plenty of places to practice shooting without worrying about killing anyone.

As she lay in bed, V’rel stared at the ceiling, her fingers curling into fists, as she breathed heavily. Why was she always so _angry?_ She wondered if it was a Chiss thing, not that she actually knew anything about the damn Chiss. Just that she was one. All of her holonet searches came up empty, no matter how many different ways she tried. She had vague memories of other Chiss, memories from when she would have been a little girl. Her foster history didn’t give any clues. Maybe one day, she’d find a way to Csilla and find a place to belong.

But first she needed credits. Credits so she could get off this damn planet.

“V’rel! Get your ass down here, girl!” Even coming from the first floor, Corta Fiat’s voice was shrill. And _loud._ Corta’s official title might be foster mother, but V’rel would never, ever call her that. Somewhere out in the galaxy, she had a mother. Maybe she’d even find her one day.

“Twelve damn days,” V’rel said as she sat up.

Nala, a Nautolan a year or so younger than V’rel, entered the room. “Corta’s in a _mood,_ ” she said, flopping on the bed at the other side of the room. “Don’t piss her off any more than you have to.”

“Me? Piss Corta off? Never,” V’rel said, getting off the bed. Too bad that just breathing in Corta’s general direction seemed to do just that.

V’rel walked out of the room, ignoring the worn-out carpeting and chips in the paint on the wall and imagined what it would be like to have a place of her own. Maybe in twelve days she could find out.

Corta, a plain looking human, stood in the kitchen, making dinner. V’rel asked her once why she only fostered aliens, but the only answer V’rel got was being grounded for twenty-four hours and a reminder not to ask questions.

“I’m good to you, ain’t I, V’rel?” Corta started mixing some sort of dough in a bowl. “I feed you, clothe you, make you go to school.”

This was a lecture V’rel had before. Instead of answering she tried to figure out what she could have possibly done to warrant this.

“Remember what you promised when you came here? You promised to be a good girl and not get in any trouble,” Corta said, her voice getting quiet.

V’rel hadn’t promised anything of the sort, not that she really remembered. The first night she stayed here, Corta had talked for what seemed forever. V’rel would have said anything to get the woman to stop talking. “I remember,” V’rel said. No point denying anything. Not with Corta.

“Then why,” Corta said, slamming the mixing bowl down on the counter so loudly that V’rel jumped, “am I getting a report from your school that they found you kissing a boy in an empty class room.”

“Wait, what?” V’rel asked, letting her mouth gape a bit. “That’s why you’re mad? Because I kissed someone?”

“You’re a child-”

“I’m Chiss, I’m an adult,” V’rel said angrily. Why did no one seem to understand that? She might not know much about the Chiss, but she did know they were full grown by age thirteen. And she would be fifteen in _twelve days._ “I’m not a kid.”

Corta breathed heavily through her nose and V’rel bit her lip, waiting for the rebuke. “Under my roof, you will not kiss any boys. Understood?”

“Are girls okay? What about non-gendered-”

“Get out of my sight!” Corta all but roared.

V’rel didn’t need to be told twice, heading out into the small living room. She didn’t want to go back upstairs, not when she’d have to tell Nala that she managed to piss Corta off even more, if that was possible.

“When are you going to learn not to cross paths like that?”

Corta’s father, Verne, sat in the corner of the living room couch, looking like he wanted to take up as little space as possible. She didn’t blame him, really. From what V’rel could tell, Corta yelled at him just as much as she did the kids she fostered. But at least he was someone to talk to. V’rel plopped on the other side of the sofa, bringing her knees up to her chest. “I never learn, that’s the problem,” she said quietly.

“You’re leaving here soon, right?” V’rel nodded. “You got any money?”

“Just over a hundred credits.”

“That ain’t enough to get you off this planet,” Verne said, sounding very much like someone who knew from experience. “In town, they’re setting up an expedition, looking for some Jedi relics. You’re young, you’re strong. Good with a blaster. Bet you could get in on that.”

V’rel’s eyes widened at the thought. She had heard about the expedition, but it never even occurred to her that she could join. There would be three meals a day, a place to sleep at night, and maybe, just maybe she could find some treasure along the way.

Maybe this could be her start.

#

V’rel discreetly spit on the floor before wiping her mouth on Andronikos’ thigh. Her eyes closed as he thread his fingers through her hair, gently scratching her scalp. “You really know how to suck a cock,” he said, laying back on the bed. “Damn, I needed that.”

That wasn’t why she stopped by the captain’s quarters, though it’s not to say she didn’t mind. Andronikos was one of the better kissers she’d come across over the last few years. But then she thought why she did come over, and to her shame, her eyes filled with tears.

When she sniffed, Andronikos sat right back up and met her gaze. “Aw, shit, you’re crying. Is this a sex thing?”

“I’m not crying,” V’rel said, louder than she intended, wiping her eyes. “But I do want to talk.” Andronikos almost squirmed in his seat, looking quite uncomfortable. “About work. Not sex.”

“Shit, V’rel, you almost gave me a damn heart attack. Thought you wanted to talk about feelings. Well, if we’re gonna have us here a talk, I’d like to put on my pants first,” Andronikos said, pulling up his trousers from around his ankles. “What’s going on? I thought you were happy.”

Hiding her face in her hands, V’rel said, “I’m not a pirate. I thought I could be. Stars, I thought I wanted to be…” She thought back to the couple of runs she helped out on. How terrified the people were when the _Sky Princess_ docked and the crew took whatever they wanted. Combine that with randomly killing people? The guilt threatened to overwhelm her each and every night. “I can’t do it anymore.”

Andronikos rubbed his chin. “Yeah, well, I know this life ain’t for everyone,” he said, patting the space next to him on the bed. Chin low to her chest, V’rel moved next him, not looking Andronikos in the eye. “Thought you were getting along real well.”

“I was. I mean, I am,” V’rel said. And that was the truth. For lying, thieving, murdering pirates, the crew of the _Sky Princess_ were actually pretty good people, happy to show her the ropes. As the assistant quartermaster, V’rel didn’t have the most exciting job on the ship, but she learned a lot, especially how to find hard to get items. “This just isn’t me, Captain.”

To her surprise, Andronikos put an arm around her shoulders. V’rel took that as an invitation and slumped against him, the solid weight of him almost comforting. “Okay, first off, no calling me ‘captain’ in my quarters. Makes me feel like I’m taking advantage or some shit. It’s Nikos when we’re both half naked, got it?”

She smiled against his shoulder. “Got it, Nikos.”

“Good girl,” he said. “Second, you remember what you promised when you joined the crew?”

V’rel thought back to a year ago when she met Andronikos at a bar on Nar Shaddaa. She had been flying ships for a freight company. Decent pay, but the runs from Coruscant to various Core Worlds had bored her out of her mind. And when Andronikos had offered her a spot on his crew, she had jumped at the chance. “I don’t remember,” she said honestly. “There was a lot of alcohol involved if I remember right.”

“You play straight with us, and we’ll help you out. Cheat us? Lie to us? You’re dead,” Andronikos said, and V’rel knew he told the truth. She had seen him kill a member of his crew for trying to con someone out of their rightful cut.

“I’m telling you now, right?” V’rel said, trying not to squirm. “That’s playing straight.”

Chuckling, Andronikos said, “Yeah, it is.” He looked off to the side and V’rel wondered what he was thinking. Complicated didn’t even begin to describe this man. Rumor had it he was once in the Republic Army, but she didn’t believe that for a second. “Look, I like you. And not just cause you give good head.”

“I couldn’t ask for a finer endorsement,” V’rel said, feeling the fear that had settled in her stomach thawing.

“Am I right that it’s the killing and violence that’s the problem? You care about shit being illegal?” V’rel shook her head and Andronikos nodded. “I could use another runner. Pick up the goods we steal and get it to a fence. I’ve got one now who mainly works with the Imps. I wouldn’t mind setting you up to work with the Pubs.”

V’rel’s heart started beating faster. That sounded _perfect._ She could talk her way out of a lot of things, and bargaining was something she knew how to do well. “How would-”

“I’ll set you up with a loan, and you go buy ship,” Andronikos said. “And I’m serious about that. It’s a loan. You’re going to pay me every credit back. With interest.”

 _A ship!_ A ship of her own. V’rel never even had a room of her own, let alone an entire ship. Tears threatened again, and this time she didn’t bother to wipe them. “Thank you. Thank you so-”

“I’m not doing you a favor, you know? Smuggling is hard work. There ain’t gonna be enough work just from me. You’re gonna have to find your own contacts and jobs and you’re gonna be working your ass off, night and day.” His face softened then. “But you’ll be able to take work as clean or dirty as you want.”

The fear and guilt and nervousness that had been weighing her down for weeks dissolved almost in an instant, leaving her clear and lightheaded. For the first time in her life, V’rel would be able to live on her own terms, and not thanks to the whim of someone else. With a bright laugh, V’rel pushed Andronikos down on the bed. As she moved to straddle his hips, she said, “Agreed. Now let’s seal the deal.”

#

_Well, isn_ _’t this just great._

V’rel leaned back on the cot, trying to figure out some way to get comfortable. She would have thought the prisons on Coruscant would be nicer than the ones on Nar Shaddaa. Turned out she was wrong. Who knew?

“V’rel?”

She jumped up at her name, letting out a sigh of relief. Of course they hadn’t forgotten about her. The Black Suns were professionals; they’d get her out of here. After all, it was their damn fault. She had been exactly where she was supposed to be. They messed up the pickup. Not her.

“Follow me,” the guard said, sounding extremely bored.

V’rel did exactly as told, not willing to risk staying one moment longer than she had to. Instead of the parole room, like she hoped, they brought her to the visitor’s room. The second she saw her visitor, she turned to the guard. “I want to go back to my cell.”

“Like I give a shit what you want,” the guard, a Zabrak with dark brown skin said, pushing her further into the room.

Her Black Suns employer, Skadge, cracked his knuckles. With a jerk of his head, he said to the guard, “I need five minutes with this one. Get outta here.”

In five minutes, V’rel would be dead, she had no doubt. _Fuck._ “Don’t leave me here with him,” she said under her breath to the guard. As a general rule, V’rel didn’t beg. But maybe this was the perfect place to start. Everything in life was negotiable as far as she was concerned. “ _Please._ _”_

The guard didn’t even bother to look her way as he left the room. Fine. She didn’t need help. She was quick and she knew just where to kick thirty-seven different alien species right in the balls, including the Houk. And she wore steel-toed boots for a reason.

“Looks like you fucked up big, girlie,” Skadge said as he took a step closer to her. V’rel didn’t move a muscle, simply stood there and waited. “Got three good men killed. Don’t like having to replace good men.”

“Your guys were late to the pickup,” V’rel said, leaning back on her heels as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And they had security trailing them. I’m not a miracle worker. Your guys are dead? Their own damn fault.”

Her heart started pounding so loud she heard the beats in her ears. If Skadge was going to attack, this was when it would happen, when she tried to explain how things went so wrong so quick. But to her surprise, Skadge started laughing. A horrible belly laugh that caused her stomach to clench. “Maybe it was. Don’t really care, though. You’re the one who’s gonna take the fall.”

“What?” V’rel asked, hardly believing what he was saying. “Let the dead ones take the fall. They don’t care. They’re _dead._ ”

Skadge cracked his knuckles. “Seems I remember you saying that it would be an easy gig. Promised that there wouldn’t be any problems.” He took another step towards her, close enough that she could smell the caf on his breath. “You remember that promise? You take the rap or I let all the other gangs know you can’t be trusted.”

V’rel did the math in her head. She gave the guard a fake ID. They knew her first name, but not her last. This ID had a clean slate, no record to speak of. First offense, smuggling alcohol - thank the stars they didn’t have guns - she’d be looking at six months, out in three with good behavior. Not a bad trade off if her reputation stayed in tact. “Yeah,” she said, practically dragging the words out of her mouth. “I remember.”

She blinked - she swore it was only a blink - and found herself pushed back against the wall, Skadge’s forearm pressed against her chest. For a big man, the fucker could move. “You tell the Pubs anything and you’re gonna wish you were never born, girlie. We clear?”

“Crystal,” V’rel said, trying not to cough.

Skadge stepped back and walked out of the room without another word.

After that, V’rel felt like she needed a damn shower. Straightening her vest, she pounded on the wall, wanting to let the guard come get her. If this place was going to be her home for the next few months, she might as well get comfortable.

With a long suffering sigh, V’rel blew the hair out of her face. “Prison. Oh goodie.”

#

“What is _wrong_ with these people?” V’rel muttered under her breath.

If she had more ethics than the Ethics Officer on Ord Mantel, the Republic might as well give up and join the Empire. She had way more on her plate than she needed right now. Tomorrow morning she’d go on the Boom Run, which would probably be just as much fun as it sounded, plus everyone and their mother seemed to think she could solve their problems.

“Blowing people up in an obstacle course shouldn’t be fun,” she said a little more loudly, hoping the asshole could hear her back in that room of his. Squealer, her big blue ass.

“Shit, is the obstacle course up again?” came a voice behind her.

V’rel turned around and saw a Cathar in a Republic uniform staring at her. Her eyes narrowed. “Does anyone actually care?” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. The Republic was supposed to be better than this. If officers could get away with running operations like that, they weren’t any better than she was. Kriff, maybe she had a future in the Republic Army, then. If she didn’t get her ship back from that bastard Skavak, maybe she’d have no other choice.

“Drage is an idiot,” the Cathar said. “If the obstacle course is up again, I’ll handle it.”

“Well, it’s up,” V’rel said, sliding onto the barstool next to the Cathar. “Saw it myself. Did the right, honorable thing and didn’t bet any credits. And I’ll have you know, I have a hard time saying no to a bet.”

The Cathar chuckled and raised his drink in a mock salute before throwing back his shot of alcohol. “Well, the Republic thanks you.”

V’rel bit her lip and made a quick decision. She had nowhere to stay tonight. Viddu could probably find her a room, but she didn’t want to be in any more of that man’s debt than she had to be. A night in an officer’s - she took a quick look at his stripes, a lieutenant, named Jorgan, she could tell from the patch on his uniform - bunk could be just what the doctor ordered. “Think the Republic might be willing to buy me a drink?” she asked with a smile as she lay her hand on his forearm.

His brow shot up and his eyes widened. Amazing how many times she came across that same reaction, people being genuinely confused when she came on to them, like they didn’t think anyone would want be interested. Well, she found plenty interesting about Jorgan. Nice green eyes, an _excellent_ body, and a voice she hoped would be whispering dirty things in her ear soon.

“The Republic always honors it’s debts,” he said, his voice low, curling her toes in a good way. “What are you drinking?”

“Whatever you’re having,” she said, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at him.

Jorgan motioned to the bartender, and a moment later she had a shot of whiskey in front of her. “You got a name?” he asked. When she tilted her head - V’rel didn’t always like to give out names during a one-night stand, she never had - he added, “For the expense report I have to fill out tomorrow morning.”

With a practiced motion, V’rel threw back her shot. “V’rel,” she said, holding out her hand. He placed his in hers, and she didn’t let go after they shook hands. Instead, she slid off the stool and took a step into his personal space. “You got a bunk?”

She could almost hear him debating himself in his head. It was almost funny to watch. But then, when he nodded slowly, his eyes boring into her, getting under her skin, all V’rel could think of was how fast would it take to get there.

In the end, it wasn’t the best fuck she ever had, but certainly not the worse. V’rel lay on her side in Jorgan’s bed, looking out at the soon to be dawn sky through the small window in his officer’s quarters. Beside her, Jorgan slept soundly, snoring softly. But all she could think about was Rogun and that damn promise she made him.

She thought it would be a simple job, like the half a dozen jobs she had run for the crime lord. Half a dozen clean, profitable runs, and this was how he repaid her. What was one lost shipment of guns between friends? But it’s was her own fucking fault. If she had realized that Ord Mantel was a damn war zone, she would have never accepted the job in the first place.

But that’s what she always did, always rushing in and getting ahead of herself. When would she learn to stop and think? When would she stop making promises she might not be able to keep? Self-reflection could wait. For now, she had to find her damn ship. Find the ship, find the guns. Then never work for that bastard Rogun again.

Through the window, V’rel could see enough red and orange in the sky to warrant getting out of bed. As quietly as she could, she dressed, and left Jorgan’s bunk, ready to hopefully not be blown to bits on the boom run.

#

For a smuggler, V’rel wasn’t all that great at keeping secrets. Sure she knew that discretion should be part of the job, but she simply lived life with her heart on her sleeve. She didn’t think she would ever be able to change that.

And, honestly, she didn’t want to.

But this? This secret was different. It was her business and no one out there needed to know. Not even her crew.

She wondered what her crew would think about her actions today. Risha would probably scoff, Akaavi think her weak. Corso would thinks she was doing the right thing, at least. Bowdaar would shrug. And Guss would probably join her, not ever wanting to be left behind.

V’rel had hoped to blend into the crowd, but her blue skin and red eyes always made people take notice. Plenty of people stared at her as she walked into the Senate Tower’s Garden of Justice. She had been in the Senate Tower a few times, years ago, back when she helped the Gree Enclave. Still too gaudy for her taste.

Gardens were nicer, though. Republic flags waved as more than one hundred people milled around, waiting for the ceremony to begin. V’rel let her mind linger on that flag. She had never been one for patriotism, but even if Darmas and Senator Dodonna ended up being traitors, they planted the seeds, and now they were finally bearing fruit.

After all, if one did have the ear of the Chancellor of the Republic, it would make sense to be a citizen of said Republic.

And that was why she was here today. After today’s ceremony, she would officially be a Republic citizen. V’rel had to admit, the thought made her slightly nervous. The paper trail alone… But she had amnesty and she wouldn’t be afraid to use it.

In the distance, V’rel saw Chancellor Saresh standing on a platform with several other dignitaries. She knew if she wanted, Saresh would probably be willing to make a fuss over her, as a hero to the Republic. It wouldn’t feel right, though. This was too personal.

“If you’ll all take your seats,” said an Ithorian.

V’rel smoothed out the front of her dress and took a breath before sitting down. As some random speaker started making a speech, the enormity of what she was about to do settled on her shoulders. Since the day she turned 15, V’rel had no home address. And for the last nine years, _The Blue Dawn_ had been her address.

Now V’rel was the proud owner of a tiny studio apartment on Coruscant. With that address, she had just as much right to be citizen of the Republic as anyone else.

Saresh moved to the podium, looking a little worse for wear than the last time V’rel had seen her. Well, Makeb hadn’t been exactly fun for anyone. All V’rel wanted now was a nice long break.

But not _too_ long. The last thing she needed was to let her skills get rusty.

“By being here today, you are promising to uphold the ideals and standards of the Galactic Republic,” Saresh said. “You are promising to obey all laws and to respect our way of life.” V’rel wondered if anyone would notice if she crossed her fingers for that part of the swearing-in ceremony. She had no problem respecting anyone’s way of life - live and let live, after all - but the whole ‘obey all laws’ was a bit of a problem. “Please stand and raise your dominant appendage.”

V’rel stood and raised her left hand, her shooting hand, but almost at once put it down and raised her right, instead. For the last six months, since just after Illum, she had been taking classes on the holonet to prepare her for her citizenship test. She could name the last ten Chancellors and had her head full of Republic history. She wasn’t quite sure how that made her a better citizen, but for once she wanted to do things by the book.

“Now please repeat after me. I renounce all previous ties to any empire or other sovereignty. I will defend the Republic when required and support and obey all laws. I, hereby declare, under no external influence, to dedicate my talents, creativity, and wisdom towards the betterment of the Galactic Republic, until my dying breath.”

The words V’rel had memorized months ago. But actually saying them out loud, in the gardens of the Senate Tower felt very, very different. She had made a good choice.

And if she conveniently had to cough when it came to promise to obey all laws, they couldn’t really hold her to that, could they?

If they did, at least she had an inside line to the Chancellor.

#

Somehow V’rel wasn’t surprised when the shuttle door opened before she even had the chance to finish the post-flight checklist. She had flown a lot of ships over the years, but she _still_ made sure check off every last procedure before she called it a wrap. After all these years, she was convinced that was the reason her ship flew so well.

Well, this ship might have been stolen from Arcann’s flagship, but the Alliance would make good use out of it.

At the sound of footsteps behind her, V’rel stood up, and turned around. As she expected, Theron walked towards her, his pace brisk. “How in star’s name did you get off of the Grave-”

She found herself pushed back against a wall, Theron’s lips pressed hungrily against her own. Even with everything going on - defeating Arcann, letting Senya disappear, worrying about Valkorian - just being next to him helped calm her. Thanks to her very narrow escape, adrenaline coursed through V’rel’s blood. She felt invincible, even after just being reminded how she clearly was not.

Theron’s thigh nudged between hers and that was enough to make V’rel break off the kiss as she let out a moan. He then moved his thigh against her too slowly to be anything but deliberate. Grabbing his jacket, she asked, “We doing this?”

“We damn well better be,” was Theron’s only response. They fumbled with buttons and clasps, but before long, V’rel buried her face in his neck as they rocked together.

Once they were done, V’rel sighed with contentment, enjoying the sense of peace that settled over her, as the adrenaline started to melt away. But Theron apparently had other ideas.

“I was listening in on the comm. When Lana just left you on the ship-”

V’rel pressed her lips against his, ending any rant Theron might have wanted to start. “Doesn’t matter. I made it out.” Snaking her arms around his neck, she added, “I had to make it out. I promised, didn’t I?”

“Heh,” he breathed, kissing her cheek. V’rel didn’t move one muscle as he tightened his grip on her waist. Far as she was concerned, the closer the better. Stars, they couldn’t be close enough. “You kept your promise.”

“For you? Always,” V’rel said, meaning every word. If she could, she would keep every promise made to this man for the rest of her life. The thought jolted her a bit, thinking about the two of them together for that long. Before Theron, those type of thoughts would have her running towards the hills. But that old familiar pull she used to have after sex, the one where she would sneak out in the middle of the night, ready to look for the next big adventure, was nowhere to be found.

Theron was her next big adventure. He always would be.

And that’s when something clicked. For some time now, maybe even before her carbonite nap, she had wondered. More than once, she might have thought about this, but never enough for the idea to solidify in her head. But now, as certain as someone could get in this galaxy, V’rel _knew._

“I love you,” V’rel blurted out. She waited for the fear, for the worry that she always assumed would come with those words, but they never showed. Instead, all she felt was joy. Pure, unmitigated _joy._ “I do. I love you, Theron.”

His face was a revelation, a story all of its own. He didn’t even have to say a word, and V’rel had no doubts that he felt the same way. Resting his brow against hers, Theron placed a bare hand on her cheek. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “So much.”

After a declaration like that, it only made sense to kiss the man. She never thought she would be the type someone would fall in love with. There wasn’t much of a market for a chubby Chiss with an extra passenger in their head. Yet somehow, V’rel managed to meet the one person in the galaxy who might find that charming.

Well, she always did have a little bit of luck on her side.


End file.
